


Three Words from the Future

by FujiwaraJunko



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alive Thatch (One Piece), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Is Alive, Family, Fix-It, Gen, Kurohige | Blackbeard | Marshall D. Teach Dies, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives, Spoilers, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujiwaraJunko/pseuds/FujiwaraJunko
Summary: The Whitebeard Pirates get visitors from the future, who only have 3 words to warn them about their fate.DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE! (Or Teach would've died so much earlier.)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 359





	1. Watch Your Health

The 16 Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates and Whitebeard himself sat solemnly in the sound-proof meeting room aboard the Moby Dick. Today had been a weird day for them. Earlier that day, one by one, their doppelgangers had arrived out of nowhere, spoken only 3 words, and then promptly disappeared.

Whitebeard looked at his sons, all still thinking of their doppelgangers’ words. He did not blame them. He himself was busy recalling the moment a second Whitebeard had appeared on the deck.

* * *

“Who are you?” Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at the imposter who had suddenly appeared on deck. His doppelganger looked just like him, but he was covered in wounds, including two holes in his torso, the sight of which had many on the deck staring with their eyes wide in shock. F!Whitebeard merely remained silent.

“O…yaji…” Marco looked nervously to him but his voice caught the attention of the doppelganger as well, who turned to him with a sad look before shaking his head. He scanned the crowd, his gaze falling on a certain fire user.

The crew watched, wary even in their confusion, as he walked silently to where Ace and Thatch stood beside each other, and placed a hand on their heads. Thatch and Ace didn’t react at all. They had both looked up only to see the grief-stricken look on F!Whitebeard’s face, and had simply frozen up in shock. F!Whitebeard looked like a parent who had lost their child, and it unnerved them. Ace subconsciously wondered just what could’ve caused that expression, and if it had anything to do with his current bloodied state.

F!Whitebeard walked up to Marco next. His face screamed guilty as he bent down to pull Marco into a hug. Marco couldn’t bring himself to fight back as his mind blanked out at his actions. Releasing Marco from the embrace, he patted his shoulders, as if to say ‘You’ve done well’. But Marco had no idea what he was being praised for, and he didn’t have any time to ask before F!Whitebeard was already walking away.

He walked up to Whitebeard and snatched the sake bottle out of his hand before tossing it overboard. The crew’s jaws dropped in shock, shuddering when they noticed the way anger flashed in Whitebeard’s eyes.

“I don’t know who you are, or what you were trying to do with my sons, but don’t think you can just do whatever you want!” He grumbled as his power made the Moby Dick tremble. He scanned the target with his Haki, trying to find any difference between his presence and his own, but found none. Whoever this imposter was, he must be extremely skilled for him to have been able to match not just his appearance but even his Haki presence.

F!Whitebeard shook his head at him solemnly. He opened his mouth to speak, “Watch your health.” And then disappeared, taking with him the blood that he had brought on board. For a moment, it felt as if they had been hallucinating the whole thing. But Ace, Thatch and Marco just couldn’t get the expression they had seen on F!Whitebeard’s face out of their mind. It had been so intense, so vivid that they were sure they couldn’t possibly have dreamt that up.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard had been ready to explode in anger. Who did this imposter think he was, taking his form and doing whatever he liked to **_his_** sons, on **_his_** ship? And why the hell did he have to listen to the words of some _imposter_? But the instant F!Whitebeard had vanished, it revealed the sight of all of his sons behind him, staring worriedly at him.

_“Watch your health.”_

The words hit him like a punch to the gut right then, as he recalled the wounded state of his doppelganger and found himself wondering what would happen to his sons after his death. It was clear from the wounds his doppelganger sported that there was a battle and that he had died as a result of it. If that doppelganger was really was him, perhaps from the future (it was always a possibility, strange things happen in the Grand Line), then did he come back just to deliver that warning to him? What happened in his time, to have caused such grief and guilt in him when he faced Ace, Thatch and Marco? Why only those 3? Did something happen to those 3 in the future? He felt his heart drop into his stomach at the thought.

He found his gaze falling onto Marco standing by his side, who was too distracted by his own thoughts as he stared at the spot F!Whitebeard had been standing not long ago, to notice. After his death, he was sure Marco would step up to take his place as captain and take care of the family. _But would he be able to do it?_ The thought came suddenly when he remembered the actions of his doppelganger towards Marco.

He hadn’t regarded Marco in grief like he did to Ace and Thatch, but he had been guilty. And those actions he did, hugging Marco and giving him a pat on his back. He had done the same before, several times in fact. Memories flashed in his mind, of having placed a burden on Marco’s shoulders and finding out later that the Phoenix had been unable to shoulder it and was beating himself up over it.

It filled him with dread to even consider the possibility that he had died and left his crew to fend for themselves, but the thought of Marco doing his best to pick up the pieces left behind in the aftermath of his death, only for something to happen for him to consider himself a failure who had failed to meet his Oyaji’s expectations and no Oyaji to reassure him made him feel even worse.

_“Watch your health.”_

Whitebeard swallowed hardly. It seems that he would have to heed his future self’s advice after all. In the very least, he had to ensure that his family would be prepared for the aftermath of his death, which, he silently promised himself and his family, wouldn’t be coming anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was written on a whim, so I'm not sure if it's any good...or if it might turn bad as it goes on, since I didn't really have a clear plan in mind when I wrote this.  
> But still, I hope you enjoy reading this, and reviews are always welcomed!


	2. Don't Trust Teach

As Whitebeard sat on his chair, still lost in thoughts, he was suddenly aware of the sudden silence around him, replacing the whispers and murmurs that had filled the deck as soon as the other Whitebeard disappeared. Looking up, he soon found the reason to be Marco right in front of him in a dogeza.

 _No, not Marco. Future Marco_ , he corrected himself silently as he noticed Marco still standing next to him and squirming silently as he took in the sight of his doppelganger, staring awkwardly. Whitebeard turned his attention back to F!Marco and noticed how his form was shaking. A choked sob from the man confirmed his thoughts as he rose from his seat, staring down at F!Marco who suddenly looked so _small_.

“Marco.” His voice made F!Marco (and Marco behind him) flinch, but the Phoenix did not move. He called out again in a gentler tone. “Marco. Look at me, son.” It seemed like several minutes passed (though in reality it was only mere seconds) before F!Marco apprehensively raised his head to meet his gaze.

The instant Whitebeard looked into F!Marco’s eyes, he nearly stumbled back, feeling the air being sucked out of his lungs. The anguish in F!Marco’s eyes, paired with the tears streaming freely down his face behind his glasses, conveyed several emotions.

Frustration, at being unable to say everything he wanted to say from the lips he was biting down in an attempt to stifle his sobs.

Guilt and Shame, for having failed his Oyaji.

Loneliness and Longing, which spoke of a family gone and brothers lost.

He suddenly understood F!Whitebeard’s actions then, as he bent down and scooped F!Marco into a bone-crushing hug, grief welling up within him and bringing a wet shine to his eyes as he patted F!Marco’s back reassuringly.

“I’m sorry for forcing whatever I did on you. You have nothing to apologise for. You have not failed me.” His hug tightened slightly at his desperation to ensure that F!Marco _knows_ that he meant every word he was saying. “You’ve done your best. I will never be disappointed in you for that, no matter the outcome. I’m proud of you, son. I’m so proud of you.” F!Marco broke down in his arms, burying his face in his shoulder, which did little to muffle his sobs, while wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. The clatter of his glasses hitting the deck was deafening, nobody saying a word as they took in the scene.

* * *

After what seemed like forever, F!Marco finally pulled away, and the now relaxed form of his son from the future filled him with relief, while simultaneously filling him with sadness. For how long had F!Marco been chained down by his heavy burden? Blue and gold appearing in his vision snapped him out of his thoughts as F!Marco swooped down, arms replaced by flaming wings of blue and gold, towards Ace and greeted the boy with a punch which sent him sprawling to the ground.

The dumbfounded teen didn’t even think to react in anger before he was picked up and gathered into a hug. When F!Marco pulled away, he shot a brief warning glare at Ace, the same scolding glare Marco always gave Ace whenever he did something reckless, before his gaze softened into one of sadness and longing. His expression didn’t change even as he turned to Thatch, and pulled the chef into an embrace.

“W-Woah, Marco! Look at you! You finally learned how to hug!” Thatch smiled, trying to loosen the tense atmosphere with humor to no avail. His words only made F!Marco hold him tighter.

“…W-Wait, hey!” Ace leapt to his feet. “Why does Thatch only get a hug but I get a punch to the face as a bonus? How is that fair?” F!Marco pulled away from Thatch to roll his eyes at Ace, but the smirk on his face gave away his fondness for the fire user. Seeing F!Marco acting like the Marco they know, the crew relaxed slightly, smiles starting to appear on their faces as they watched the trio.

“Gurarararara!” Whitebeard’s laugh made F!Marco turn to him, and his eyes shone with tears again even with the smile on his face. The smile quickly dropped into a frown, as if he suddenly remembered something, and he walked over to the meeting room, gesturing for Whitebeard and his Commanders to follow. They did so without hesitation, the Phoenix’s power having convinced them that this was indeed Marco, despite his new appearance and weird behaviour at first. Whatever F!Marco wanted to tell them, it was clear, by leading them into the meeting room, that he didn’t want the rest of the crew to know.

Once everyone was gathered and the door shut tightly, ensuring their privacy, F!Marco turned to them with an expression of barely suppressed anger and hate. That clued them in on the fact that something big will happen if nothing was done about it. The three words that left his lips before he disappeared in a blink left the occupants of the room with varying emotions, including confusion, anger, and dread.

“Don’t trust Teach.”

He spat the name out with such hatred and disgust that they could not bring themselves to think of his words as a lie. Whatever elicited such intense emotions from their brother clearly came from experiencing it. Just what had happened to them in the future? What did Teach do that to make F!Marco so angry at him? Did it have anything to do with why he acted like that when he first appeared? They swallowed hardly. Somehow, they felt like they didn’t want to know despite their curiosity eating up at them.


	3. Dead Brothers

The crew had shown their concerns when Whitebeard and his Commanders exited the meeting room with unreadable expressions on their faces. It was clear that F!Marco had delivered his final words and vanished just as F!Whitebeard did, but the witnesses were keeping tight-lipped on what was said. The crew had simply chosen not to pry, instead choosing to gossip among themselves about the doppelgangers.

The Whitebeard Pirates were ready when a pillar of flames appeared on the deck. They had been prepared to see a second, older Ace. They had not been prepared to see a similar aged Ace with a gaping hole in his chest, and were _very_ disturbed to actually be able to see through the hole. F!Ace seemed unbothered by the horrified stares of his brothers though, and just made his way over to Whitebeard. He kowtowed, just as F!Marco had done, tears streaming down his face.

“Whatever you did, son, I forgive you. I do not blame you, and I will not reject you. I still love you no less than any of my sons.” Whitebeard knew what needed to be said the instant he saw the grief and guilt on F!Ace’s face. And he had an idea of what his son from the future could be apologising for, given the hole in his chest. He walked over and bent down, pulling F!Ace into a one-armed hug. “And I’m sorry for not being able to save you, son.”

Whitebeard couldn’t believe his eyes. One of his sons from the future stood before him, likely dead where he came from, and judging from looks, his death happened in the near future. The hole in his chest reminded him of the holes in F!Whitebeard’s torso, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they had died to the same enemy. Had they been in the same battle? Had he fallen, which was why he hadn’t managed to save his son?

_“Watch your health.”_

Remembering F!Whitebeard’s words, it must have been due to his health. He cursed under his breath. He should really start taking his health seriously. F!Ace pulled away, wiping his tears with a sniffle. And then he turned to Thatch and Marco, expression unchanging, and pulled the two into a bone-crushing hug. And a sudden thought sprang into Whitebeard’s mind.

So far, all of the future travellers reacted the most to himself, Marco, Ace and Thatch. Of the three that had appeared, it was clear that F!Whitebeard and F!Ace were dead in the timeline they came from. F!Marco didn’t look wounded, but he had clearly been burdened by something. As for Thatch… What if Ace wasn’t the only son he’d failed to save?

He could not dwell on the uneasy thought longer for F!Ace pulled away from the embrace and began walking away. When F!Ace waved them over to the meeting room, they understood immediately and followed him in. Inside the room, F!Ace surprised them by punching Ace.

“Why do I always get punched? What did I do?” Ace complained, holding his bruised cheek. F!Ace just crossed his arms and huffed, before kneeling down to the fallen Commander’s eye level.

“Don’t chase Teach.” He hissed, and then he was gone before they could register his words.

Teach.

**Again.**

* * *

F!Jozu showed up not long after F!Ace disappeared, missing his right arm. They hadn’t left the meeting room, still pondering Teach’s involvement with the state of their visitors from the future, which worked out in his favor.

“What happened to your arm, Jozu?” Vista managed to ask. F!Jozu just turned to him, but remained silent.

“D-Did Teach do that to you?” Thatch asked, still thinking of F!Marco’s and F!Ace’s warnings. F!Jozu gave him a sad look and shook his head, before moving to wrap his remaining arm around the chef, tears pricking the corner of his eyes.

“Does it have anything to do with how Oyaji and Ace look like when they appeared then?” Surprise, and then grief, flashed through F!Jozu’s face at Namur’s question as he pulled away. It was as if he hadn’t expected F!Whitebeard and F!Ace to drop by, and considering the pair were likely dead in the future that they came from, it made sense.

“Was there a battle?” Whitebeard questioned. F!Jozu paused for a while before answering, but Whitebeard doesn’t need to hear it to know the answer. He could already tell from the glazed look in F!Jozu’s eyes, evidently still haunted by unpleasant memories. But Whitebeard asked, so F!Jozu nodded in reply. Then, he turned to meet Ace’s gaze, slowly making his way over to the teen.

“Are you gonna punch me too?” Ace cracked a wry smile at F!Jozu, who gave him a fleeting smile and shook his head ‘no’. “Good, ‘cause my jaw still hurts from getting punched by Marco and myself.” Ace chuckled. F!Jozu’s smile lingered for a bit before it was dropped.

“Don’t confront Akainu.” And then he was gone. The silence loomed over the occupants of the room, all thinking of the same thing.

Akainu. An Admiral who ate the Magu Magu No Mi, becoming a Logia magma man.

F!Whitebeard and F!Ace, who both sported holes with melted edges in their torsos.

“Why were we fighting an Admiral?” Thatch asked, bewildered. He didn’t receive an answer.

* * *

They predicted that Thatch would be the next to arrive, following their ranks, and they were not wrong. When F!Thatch arrived in the meeting room, Whitebeard felt his heart sink at the proof that his earlier thought was not wrong. F!Thatch’s back was covered in blood. Marco and Ace seemed to have come to the same realisation, the horror on their faces more pronounced than it was on the rest of their brothers’.

“Thatch, you… Did you die too?” Haruta asked, the tears already welling up in his eyes. F!Thatch looked to him sadly and nodded. They took in the sight of F!Thatch, realising that unlike the battered forms of F!Whitebeard and F!Ace, F!Thatch was relatively free of injuries except the one on his back, signifying that he died from bleeding out rather than in a battle. Recalling F!Marco’s and F!Ace’s warning, a feeling of dread filled them.

_“Don’t trust Teach.”_

_“Don’t chase Teach.”_

“Was it…Was it Teach?” Jiru asked. The anger and betrayal in F!Thatch’s eyes served as their answer before he even nodded.

“So…What Marco and Ace said… It was true?” Namur seemed to be in a daze as he spoke with disbelief. “Teach… He really betrayed us?”

“…So that’s why Jozu reacted like that when I asked him that question.” Thatch murmured. “Because the one Teach attacked wasn’t him, but me.” F!Thatch only turned to Whitebeard with a sad guilty look, sending him a silent apology that the disheartened father understood immediately.

“No, I am the one who should be sorry, my son, for not having been able to protect you like I should as your father.” He said as he pulled another of his sons from the future into a hug. “Forgive me, son.” F!Thatch accepted the embrace wholeheartedly, making no effort to stop his tears. When F!Thatch pulled away after a few minutes and turned to face Thatch, Thatch’s eyes widened and he backed away.

“Hang on! You’re not gonna punch me, are you?” He squeaked, making F!Thatch grin with a shake of his head. Thatch heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, we’re good then.” Everyone cracked a smile at the scene, but soon turned solemn when F!Thatch began to speak.

“Watch your back.” From the sight of F!Thatch’s back, the reason was clear. It seemed that they would all have to keep their guards up for a while.


	4. Hidden Ambitions

“Why?” That was the question that greeted F!Vista when he appeared next in the meeting room, where everyone had agreed not to leave until all of their future visitors have visited.

“We got the gist of it. We had a battle involving Admiral Akainu, where Oyaji and Ace most likely died. Somewhere along the lines, either before or after that battle, Thatch was killed by Teach. But why? Why would Teach kill Thatch? And why were we fighting an Admiral?” Vista asked his future self. F!Vista’s eyes darkened.

“Teach.” He hissed out.

“Teach? You mean, everything happened because of Teach?” Haruta asked. F!Vista nodded.

“Then…why all the other warnings,” Ace asked, “when we can just get rid of Teach before anything happens?” F!Vista stared straight into his eyes.

“A precaution.”

“A precaution.” Vista repeated, after his doppelganger disappeared. “Just in case one warning didn’t work out, another could help prevent what was to happen.” Whitebeard nodded in agreement.

“So something happens if I chase Teach, and if I confront Akainu.” Ace concluded. “I know from the sight of my other self that I most likely died from Akainu. But how the hell did we end up in a fight against Akainu? And the part about chasing after Teach… Did I chase him for attacking Thatch?” He frowned.

“Sounds possible, yoi. Akainu is a believer of Absolute Justice, so it’s likely that Teach maybe tipped him off on our location and he decided to fight us, yoi.” Marco frowned as well. “But I’m not sure what’s in it for Teach for doing that, yoi. And why did Teach kill Thatch, yoi? Why specifically Thatch, or did Thatch just happen to be in his way, yoi?”

“Maybe.” Thatch agreed with a shudder. “I think he attacked me while we were preoccupied with the battle with Akainu. It would explain my future self’s warning to ‘watch my back’.”

“But if I died in that battle with Akainu, then why would my future self warn me against chasing Teach? Unless there’s another reason I chased after him.”

“Maybe we fought the Admiral again?” Haruta asked. “I mean, let’s assume Oyaji’s injuries were from fighting Akainu because he was weakened by his illness, then it would make sense that we would get distracted. And while we were distracted, Teach killed Thatch for whatever reasons, and then escaped. Ace chased after Teach, and Akainu probably gave chase? And then you confronted him and got killed?” He gave an unsure shrug. “I don’t know, I’m not sure.”

“We’ll find out.” Whitebeard said gravely. They were not looking forward to it at all.

* * *

When F!Blamenco appeared, they repeated their assumptions to him.

“Did we get it right?” Rakuyo asked worriedly. F!Blamenco opened his mouth and then closed it again, before making a gesture that conveyed ‘somewhat’.

“Okay, so what happened first then?” Fossa asked.

“Teach killed Thatch.” They were still frozen in shock when F!Rakuyo appeared, looking at them curiously.

“Teach… He killed me?” Thatch was the first to speak, swallowing hardly. “Was that what started this whole mess?” F!Rakuyo nodded. Ace stepped up, telling F!Rakuyo of their assumptions and what F!Blamenco had replied to it.

“So did Teach kill Thatch while we were distracted in the battle with that Admiral?” Ace seethed. F!Rakuyo shook his head, gesturing ‘before’. “It happened before we fought the Admiral?” F!Rakuyo nodded grimly.

“It was intentional, yoi? Like, he specifically targeted Thatch, yoi?” Marco asked in disbelief, receiving a nod in reply.

“Why?!” They demanded from F!Rakuyo, who’s gaze darkened, matching F!Vista’s look.

“Yami no Mi.”

“Yami no Mi? A devil fruit, perhaps?” Vista suggested.

“Just for that? But I would’ve given it to him if he wanted it!” Thatch exclaimed.

“I’ll go check up on everything I can find about the Yami Yami no Mi.” Haruta said, before rushing out of the meeting room.

“That bastard!” Ace snarled, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “And I guess, this is where I chased after Teach.”

“And knowing you, you probably rushed off without any plans, yoi.” Marco agreed. “But why weren’t we with you, yoi?”

“Because I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“Oyaji?” Marco looked over to Whitebeard, as did everyone else in the room. Whitebeard had been quiet for most part since F!Thatch left. While it was normal for the old man to be content to simply sit back and let his children figure things out by themselves, his expression was the exact opposite of content. “What do you mean by that, yoi?”

“I know how dangerous Teach can be. He often leaves me with an uneasy feeling. If he really did manage to kill Thatch and escape, I would not have allowed any of you to go after him.” Whitebeard sighed.

“And I definitely would’ve gone after him even if it meant I’d be going alone against your orders. We all know how blind I can be when I’m angry.” Ace winced. “Ok, now my doppelganger’s words make more sense.”

“Did we get that right, Namur?” Rakuyo turned to F!Namur, who nodded.

“What happened next?” Haruta inquired. “What happened to Ace after he went after Teach?”

“Turned Ace In.”

“You mean I lost to that bastard?!” Ace yelled, but F!Namur was long gone.

“It must’ve been because of the Yami Yami no Mi, Ace. I mean, there’s got to be a reason why he wanted the fruit so badly that he’d kill Thatch for it.” Vista pacified the flaming teen.

“Guys, listen to this!” Haruta burst into the room, shutting the door behind him.

“What? What is it, Haruta?” Thatch asked worriedly.

“The Yami Yami no Mi is a Logia type devil fruit. It allows the user to create and control darkness at will.” Haruta said, reading off the paper in his hands. “It’s considered the ‘most evil’ devil fruit. And listen to this, it has the power to nullify other devil fruit powers.”

“Nullify our powers, yoi? Does that require contact, or can it be done from a distance, yoi?” Marco asked, his worried frown deepening. Haruta shook his head.

“Unfortunately, not much is known about it. This is all I could find out about it. And how it looks like.” He said, holding up a picture of a round purple fruit with swirls.

“So we have next to no idea what the fruit is truly capable of. But with the power to nullify other devil fruits, it sure sounds like a powerful and useful ability to have.” Thatch said.

“That explains why I lost.” Ace grumbled. “I may be an idiot, but even I can recognise that I’m quite dependent on my devil fruit powers.”

“Most devil fruit users are dependent on their devil fruit, yoi. Even me, Ace.” Marco admitted.

“I can see why Teach would want it, but I still can’t tell what he’s after. I seriously can’t understand him at all anymore.” Thatch scratched his head in frustration.

“Wealth, Fame and Power.” Marco growled. “Everything pirates usually seek, yoi.” The realisation dawned on them as they all voiced it out simultaneously.

“The One Piece…”


	5. Future Disasters

“War with Marines.” F!Beinheim delivered.

“That makes sense. If Teach defeated Ace and turned him into the marines, it’s obvious that they’ll execute him since he’s the 2nd Division Commander. And clearly, we wouldn’t have allowed it.” Vista said.

“And it would explain why we would be fighting an Admiral like Akainu.” Whitebeard added.

“Wait, what? Why would you come?” Ace interrupted, making them turn to him incredulously.

“What do you mean, why? Isn’t it obvious?” Fossa asked.

“I went against Oyaji’s orders and got myself into that mess! You have no reason to come!” Ace shouted. Marco walked up to him with a frown.

“You’re our family, yoi. That’s more than enough reason for us to save you, even if it means going to war with the Marines, yoi. Right, Curiel?” He turned to F!Curiel, who had been listening in. F!Curiel nodded.

“Allies came.”

“See?” Marco smirked to Ace. “Even our allies came for you, yoi. All of them, yoi.” F!Curiel nodded in agreement. “Did we miss out anyone, yoi?” F!Curiel grinned.

“Luffy.” Ace’s eyes bulged out of his sockets.

“LUFFY?!” He shrieked. “What do you mean, Luffy came too?! No, that idiot’s going to get himself killed!”

“Wow, your younger brother sure is ballsy.” Thatch gave an impressed whistle.

“Was he ok though?” Ace asked worriedly. F!Kingdew nodded, cracking a smile when Ace visibly relaxed at his answer. He made a gesture, of something falling form the sky.

“Huh? Something fell from the sky?” Haruta asked. F!Kingdew pointed to Ace, and then made a gesture as if saying ‘short’. It was vague, but everyone understood what he meant.

“No way! His younger brother came in from the **sky**?!” Thatch exclaimed, Ace looking dumbfounded while the rest had expressions of mixed bewilderment and amusement. “Oh, please tell me we had a cool entrance too! It would suck if his brother fell from the sky while we just sailed in normally!” He complained. F!Kingdew smirked, making a gesture from below up.

“We came from underwater!” Haruta squealed, bouncing excitedly. “Oh, what I would give to see the reactions of the marines when we come bursting into Marineford – we were at Marineford, right? (F!Kingdew confirmed with a nod) – from underwater while his brother fell in from the sky!”

“Same! I would’ve loved to see the look on their faces when we surfaced!” Thatch nodded, but his excitement quickly died down when F!Kingdew frowned sadly, reminding him that he had been dead before they even went to war with the Marines. “Sorry.” He murmured, F!Kingdew shaking his head, signalling ‘it’s ok’. His next words broke their hearts.

“Couldn’t protect anything.” F!Haruta appeared minutes later, tears streaming freely down his face, ignoring the now solemn atmosphere in the meeting room as he ran up to Ace and Thatch. He held them both tightly, sobbing loudly, which didn’t make the two feel any better about the situation in the future.

“I’m sorry, Haruta. I’m sorry I died.” Ace said softly, making F!Haruta cry harder as he hit at Ace’s chest, shaking his head while shooting a tearful ‘say that again and I’ll kill you myself’ glare at Ace. It was not like they had wanted to die, and Ace understood that. “I’m sorry.” Still, that was all that came out of his mouth as he lowered his head.

“Haruta.” F!Haruta pulled away from the pair at Whitebeard’s voice, running into Whitebeard’s arms this time. Whitebeard held him tightly, patting his back comfortingly. “When you get back, I want you to let your brothers know that I don’t blame them for anything that happened.” F!Haruta pulled away slightly to meet Whitebeard’s saddened eyes. “I know all of you have done your best, and that’s enough for me. Whatever they are blaming themselves for, tell them to forgive themselves, for none of you have let me down. And if they still insist, tell them I forgive them. Tell them that all of you, my sons, are precious to me and I love all of you. I don’t want any of my precious sons to wallow in regret and misery for something that’s already gone and passed.” F!Haruta nodded, soaking up his words like a sponge, determined to deliver their father’s message from the past word for word to his grieving family in the future. “Thank you. For always being so dependable.” This time, Haruta teared up alongside F!Haruta, though he was quick to wipe them away before anyone else could notice. He could not imagine how much his beloved family must be suffering in the future, having been unable to save two of their brothers and their father.

“Hey, Haruta.” Thatch called out to F!Haruta. “When you get back, go to my room, and – you know where I hide the things we use for our pranks, right? – among them is a list of all the pranks I’ve come up with. Do me a favor; carry out the pranks in my stead and check off the list for me, will you?” To his surprise, F!Haruta shook his head sadly. “Whyyyyy?” He whined as F!Haruta looked regretfully at him before gesturing to the Moby Dick and then making a ‘poof’ gesture. Instantly, the mood in the room dampened once more with the realisation of what F!Haruta was saying. “Oh.”

“We lost the Moby Dick too?” Vista repeated in disbelief as F!Haruta nodded. “But how would we sail on without the Moby Dick? Did we manage to get another ship big enough for all of us?” F!Haruta pursed his lips, before sighing.

“No need anymore.” They were utterly flabbergasted. What did F!Haruta mean by that? There wasn’t a need for a replacement for the Moby Dick ‘anymore’? But how did they continue sailing the seas then?

Unless...Unless they **didn’t**.

They fidgeted uncomfortably. With every message their family from the future delivered, it spun a tale of one nightmare after another. It really put into perspective just how bad the situation in the future was, to the point it was almost unbelievable.

F!Atmos appeared not long after, gaze downcast and unable to meet any of their eyes. It pained them to see how much it pained their brother to be standing there with them, as if he’d rather be anywhere else than with the family he lost.

“Atmos… Did- Did we disband?” Haruta asked, clearly distraught about his future self’s message.

“W-What happened, yoi?” Marco asked. He couldn’t believe it. Oyaji had entrusted the crew to him. The crew trusted him. And yet, they disbanded under his watch. No wonder his future self acted like that, and no wonder Oyaji spoke those words to his future self. “Was it after the war, yoi?” F!Atmos nodded. Noticing his gaze darkening, they instantly knew who was responsible.

“Was it Teach again?” Thatch whimpered as F!Atmos confirmed it with a nod. “We lost against him too? How?” F!Atmos grimaced.

“Stole Oyaji’s power.” Speed F!Jiru lived up to his name, appearing almost instantly after F!Atmos vanished, but they were too distressed over F!Atmos’ words to acknowledge it. F!Jiru seemed to understand their distress, silently watching from the side.

“How did he even get 2 devil fruits abilities? I thought that was impossible!” Thatch cried.

“That bastard wouldn’t have known how to use it. If he really is as power-hungry as our future selves say he is, then he would’ve just been a force of pure destruction! And with both the Yami Yami no Mi ability and the Gura Gura no Mi ability, I wouldn’t blame us for losing against him.” Fossa growled out bitterly.

“Not to mention knowing us, we would’ve been blinded by our rage and grief from our losses in the war and went after Teach for revenge even in our emotionally crippled state, yoi.” Marco sighed. “Just what other disaster happened in the future, yoi?”

“…lost too much.” Ace mumbled, and somehow, everyone heard him, turning their attention to him.

“Ace?” Even Whitebeard, who had been shocked to hear that the power he wielded to protect his sons had been used against his sons to hurt them, turned to the freckled teen.

“We lost so much.” His clenched fists tightened as tears sprung into his eyes. “We shouldn’t have to lose so much. If only you guys didn’t come for me… You should’ve just left me there.”

“What do you mean, we should’ve just left you there? Are you stupid? Why would we allow the Marines to execute our brother?” Thatch shouted angrily, only for Ace to shout back louder just as angrily.

“Because I’m the son of Roger!”


	6. Resolution

“Because I’m the son of Roger!” Ace shouted, his whole body lighting up with angry flames. “The son of a monster! I shouldn’t have been born! I was never supposed to be born anyway! You should’ve just left me there to die!” He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the rejection that was sure to come.

“Doesn’t matter, you’re our brother first of all! No way we are leaving you there to die! We never turn our backs on family, Ace!” Haruta said incredulously. Ace just stared for a few moments, dumbfounded.

“Wait, you don’t hate me or anything?” He asked, his flames slowly dying down.

“Uh… No? Why would we?” Thatch asked, confused. His confusion made Ace even more confused, the teen tilting his head.

“Because…I’m the son of Gol D. Roger? You know, the Pirate King?”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the son of a dead man. Big deal.” Thatch rolled his eyes at him. “It doesn’t matter who your birth father is, Ace! You’re Oyaji’s son now, and that means you’re part of our family! And nobody messes with family!” Ace was stunned, gaping for a while, before slowly turning his gaze to Whitebeard, who gave him a fond fatherly smile.

“We’d come to save you no matter what, son.” F!Jiru chose that moment to walk up to Ace, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Already knew anyway.” It took a few seconds for F!Jiru’s words to register in Ace’s mind.

“Wait, what do you mean, you already knew?” He asked, looking lost, as he turned to the crew. “The only ones who should know are my brothers, Gramps and Oyaji!” They shared looks before Marco stepped up with a sigh.

“We’ve known for a long time, Ace. We’ve known since a few days after you joined, yoi.” Ace found himself speechless. They knew all this time, and they still accepted him as one of their own? They knew, even without him telling them, and they were still willing to risk their lives in a war to save him from execution? They knew, and they still wanted him to live?

_But…that’s impossible!_

_…Right?_

“How did you know?” He mumbled, still finding it hard to believe.

"We've met Roger a few times, yoi.” Marco explained. “Sometimes we clash, sure, but we always ended up drinking and partying with them every time we meet, yoi. Roger may be strong and fierce, and known as a monster to the world, but contrary to how the World Government portrayed him, he was more like a carefree fool, yoi. He only ever turned fierce when his loved ones were threatened, yoi. Roger was the kind of man who could’ve ran from a fight that was too much for him, but he never would, because he couldn’t let the enemy have even a chance of going after his nakama, yoi. He was always so doting and proud about any and everything concerning the people he cares for, and loved to boast about them, yoi. Of course, he was aware of how dangerous it would be for the people associated to him if word got out, and only told the people he truly trusted, yoi. I still wonder why he felt that he could trust us, but anyway, the last few times we met him, among other things, the one thing he spoke most about was Rouge, yoi." Ace froze and Marco nodded. "Yes, Portgas D. Rouge, his lover and your mother, yoi. We’ve met her once or twice, yoi. You look just like her, Ace.” He said with a gentle smile.

“I-I do?” Ace asked, gulping. He had always wondered, and knowing that he looked like the mom he never met made pride swell up within him, and he couldn’t help but let a small smile slip.

“Yeah. The first time we met you, when you protected your crew like that, it reminded us of Roger whenever he was protecting his crew from an enemy that he knew would be too much for him, yoi. We had our suspicions then, but your resemblance to Rouge was really what gave you away, along with the fact that your name is Portgas too, yoi.” He released a small sigh as he placed a hand on Ace’s shoulders. “You may despise Roger, Ace, and we won’t try to make you feel otherwise, but Roger was truly a good man, and not a monster as you’ve surely been told since young, yoi. Even if he _was_ actually a monster, we wouldn’t have rejected you either way, yoi. We judge a person by their character and not by their bloodline, and we mean it when we say that your past or lineage doesn’t matter to us, yoi. Once you joined us, you are already part of our family, and we will **never** abandon family, yoi.” Ace met Marco’s firm gaze, and then looked around the room to see everyone nodding in agreement. Their sincerity was clear to see, and it brought tears into his eyes, unable to doubt their genuine words. He nodded, shakily giving them a wide tearful grin.

“…Thank you.” He whispered. “For loving me.”

“Aww, how sweet of you, Ace!” Thatch teased, making Ace’s face instantly flush in embarrassment.

“Geez, thanks for ruining the mood, Thatch.” He muttered, making everyone laugh. An additional laughter alerted them to the presence of F!Fossa, who had appeared at some point.

“What else do we need to know, son?” Whitebeard asked, the atmosphere turning solemn again as they remembered their situation.

“No longer protected.” F!Fossa replied, promptly disappearing right after.

“Right. I forgot Oyaji died in the future.” Haruta sulked, mood just as sour as everyone’s at the reminder. “If Oyaji is dead, we might no longer be perceived as a threat.”

“Especially if we also lost to a traitor, yoi.” Marco agreed, crossing his arms. “In the future they,” He sent a nod towards F!Izo. “came from, we lost pretty much everything, yoi. The traitor who killed a brother was allowed to live, the war was an utter defeat, and then we lost to that very same traitor, yoi. I can already see how the world would react, yoi.” F!Izo’s sigh was enough of an answer.

“The strongest man in the world, along with two of his commanders, was dead, and the remaining crew was overpowered by a traitor. Enemies would be coming for us from all over the world. No wonder the crew split up. Probably had to, for our own safety. Not to mention, with our tarnished reputation, people will likely start to go after our allies and turfs too. Makes sense, we were unable to defend even our own honor; how would we be able to defend our allies and turfs?” Haruta spat bitterly as F!Izo nodded in confirmation.

“It’s all so messed up.” Thatch moped. F!Izo rolled his eyes and nudged at Thatch. He fixed all of them with a determined look, sending them a silent message that they only understood due to their many years together.

 _So fix it._ F!Izo urged wordlessly. _That’s why we’re here in the first place._ “We’ll be fine.” He was gone the next second, but they knew the words that would’ve followed. _Don’t worry about us. Stop brooding over the future we came from and focus on dealing with the problems you’ll face._

* * *

Such was the events that led to the 16 Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates and Whitebeard himself sitting solemnly in the sound-proof meeting room aboard the Moby Dick, discussing on how to deal with the problems they would face in the future, not just those involving Teach, but also what to do after Whitebeard’s death and how to ensure their protection of their allies and turfs still stands afterwards.

Minutes later, with the meeting concluded, they burst out of the meeting room, startling the rest of the crew who had started to grow worried about them, and declared Teach to be a traitor. Marco, Ace and Thatch were sent to grab Teach while the remaining commanders kept the remaining crew under control, urging them to watch and judge for themselves whether Teach is guilty or not. Soon enough, Teach was dragged over to the middle of the crowd, forced to his knees before Whitebeard. A few questions regarding the Yami Yami no Mi and his future ambitions were enough to elicit a split-second reaction (before it was quickly masked, though it was in vain as everyone witnessed it) that was all the answers they needed.

Once given the gist of what Teach’s future plans were and realising that the future visitors were the result of those plans, the resulting furious mob tore into Teach like vicious predators into a prey. Teach never stood a chance. Once he was dead, Ace burned his corpse down into nothing, ensuring that he would never be seen bearing Whitebeard’s mark and ceased to exist completely, unseen and unknown by the rest of the world. He would never harm anyone ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for bearing with me to the end, and for showing so much love for this story! I've enjoyed reading the reviews and they've motivated me to write this story to the end, and also given me ideas to add in as I go!   
> I'm really glad that you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it, so I've decided to write a bonus chapter with 2 more visitors from the future! Take a guess who they are~! ;3 Look forward to it!


	7. Brothers Reunited

“How are you feeling?” Thatch asked as he joined Ace out on deck, leaning against the rail but facing the deck with his back to the sea. It had been merely 3 days ago that Teach was declared a traitor and killed. Those who were not present at the time found out from those who had been there to see it, and allies had been promptly notified. Though he was a traitor, Teach had been a good brother during his time in the crew, so some were understandably saddened. Most of the sorrow was gone by the next day though, replaced by the anger and hurt of betrayal.

“Weirdly calm.” Ace replied. “I thought I’d be fuming for at least a few days, but,” He shrugged as he looked out towards the sea. “I feel oddly relaxed. Neither his betrayal nor his death is affecting me as much I thought it would.”

“Same here.” Thatch admitted. “Actually, most of us Division Commanders are the same way. I think it’s probably because we got the whole story.” He stretched his arms out, yawning. “To be honest, all these meetings and paperwork about our plans and preparation for the future are more frustrating than knowing Teach killed me in the future over a stupid devil fruit. And of course, that short mission I took yesterday to take my mind off stuff just had to be the one where I found that accursed fruit.” Thatch grumbled, remembering how he had nearly stomped the devil fruit into a mashed pulp when he first came across it on that small island that wasn’t supposed to have anything worthwhile.

“Have you decided what to do with it?” Ace asked curiously, turning to him.

“I handed it over to Marco. If anyone can hide it where it would never be found and used again, it’d be him.”

“Good call.” Ace agreed, nodding as he turned back to the sea. “…I’m glad they came back to the past to warn us. You know, us from the future.”

“Yeah.” Thatch agreed. “It’s sad how much they had to suffer though. I hope that things get better for them soon.” Ace gave a low hum as the two fell into a comfortable silence. “…Hey, uh, Ace?”

“Yeah? What is it, Thatch?”

“Um, you might want to, uh, turn around.” Ace glanced at Thatch with a raised brow, but the chef’s gaze seemed fixated on something on the deck. Curious, Ace did a 180 and froze. On the deck of the Moby Dick, were two figures, one familiar to Ace, and the other unfamiliar yet painfully familiar. Whitebeard and Marco were both staring intently at the newcomers, but didn’t assume a battle stance. Mainly because both of the newcomers weren’t even looking at them. They were both staring at Ace with tears in their eyes, filled with the same heart-breaking pain and grief as their family from the future had.

“Luffy.” F!Luffy’s arms stretched out towards him and punched him, sending him sprawling to the ground in shock, before he wrapped his arms around his torso and shot straight into his gut. “Oof! Lu, what the hell!” Ace cursed, but his anger quickly dissipated when F!Luffy buried his face into his chest, sobbing loudly. He grimaced, remembering that he died in the future F!Luffy was from. “Hey, Lu.” He was taken aback by the haunted look in F!Luffy’s eyes when he looked up to meet his gaze. And then, he remembered that Luffy was there at the Marineford War and had probably seen him die. The horror hit him when he noticed the huge X scar on F!Luffy’s chest. It was a burn scar, and the edges of it looked similar to the wound F!Ace had sported. Akainu, who managed to kill him, had injured F!Luffy too. F!Luffy had been hurt in the war.

 _Just how badly?_ He shook the thought off, reassuring himself that Luffy is fine and alive in the future, given F!Luffy’s appearance, and that Luffy is fine and alive in the past, now that the threat of Teach is gone. Instead, he landed a punch on F!Luffy’s head. “That’s for being so reckless and coming to Marineford. What the hell were you thinking, you could’ve died, Lu!” F!Luffy pouted at him, fixing him with a gaze that said ‘I don’t wanna hear that from you’, making Ace roll his eyes. F!Luffy was quick to forget it though, as he suddenly perked up and leapt off Ace, only to pull the not-so-stranger that came with him over to them with a large grin. He gestured wildly and excitedly to the stranger, who seemed nervous, and Ace took the time to observe his appearance.

Noble-like clothes? Check.

Top-hat with goggles? Check.

That ridiculous napkin – _“It’s not a napkin, it’s a cravat!”_ The voice of a familiar young boy in his mind protested – Check. 

“Bastard.” Ace growled, his fist lighting up with flames as he sent the punch straight for the stranger’s jaw. “Where were you this whole time?!” He roared as the stranger flew across the deck and skidded on the ground. “Dogra saw your boat get shot! We all grieved for you! Luffy and I cried for you! You were alive this whole time, and you couldn’t even be bothered to let us know?!” He pounced on F!Sabo, who looked at him mournfully, but had a nostalgic smile on his face. “Where were you? Why didn’t you ever come home?” Ace asked, his voice softer. F!Sabo winced, before gesturing to the burn scars that took over nearly the whole of his left side. Ace could tell he was trying to communicate something about the wounds or the incident that caused the wounds, but he couldn’t link its relation to why Sabo never came back to them. F!Sabo seemed frustrated as Ace’s look of confusion only grew by the second.

“Those must’ve been some terrible wounds to have caused such bad scarring, yoi.” Marco commented suddenly from the side, having walked up to them at some point to get a closer look.

“He was 10.” Ace answered in F!Sabo’s stead. “He tried to set sail to get away from his parents who locked him in his own house. A Tenryuubito was passing by and shot him down even though he didn’t do anything. He wasn’t even in their way.” Marco nodded, unfazed.

“Not surprising for a Tenryuubito, yoi.” He said, looking disgusted. “But you were 10, yoi? I’m surprised you didn’t die, yoi.” He frowned as he noticed the scarring disappearing into F!Sabo’s hairline. “Looks like you got a nasty head wound from it too, yoi. Did you perhaps lose your memories, yoi? Head injuries are known to cause amnesia, yoi.” F!Sabo nodded, snapping his fingers at that and gesturing to it.

“You lost your memories?” Ace asked, leaning back so he wasn’t literally in F!Sabo’s face. “So that’s why you didn’t come home. You didn’t remember us. But how did you remember then?” He murmured and F!Sabo’s gaze turned sad as his eyes trailed to Ace’s torso. Ace winced. “You found out from my death.” F!Sabo nodded, making him sigh and face-palm. “Damn. Sorry ‘bout that, Bo.” F!Sabo shook his head, sitting up. He held out a hand, and kept his eyes on Ace as Ace watched his hand light up on fire. He seemed to relax slightly when Ace’s eyes lit up. “Did you eat my Mera Mera no Mi? I was wondering what happened to it!” He raved, clearly thrilled. Matching his enthusiasm, F!Sabo smirked and nodded. “That’s great! I’m glad you’re the one who ate my fruit! Take care of it, will you?” F!Sabo ignored the tears welling up in his eyes and nodded, pulling Ace into a hug. Ace could only return the hug, using one hand to pat his back comfortingly. “Hey, don’t cry, ‘Bo. Lu is supposed to be the crybaby among us, not you.” Next to him, F!Luffy pouted and Ace laughed, knowing the words F!Luffy was biting back. _I’m not a crybaby!_ His mood turned slightly more sombre when he heard a sniffle from F!Sabo “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Sabo, I don’t think I’ll be dying anytime soon, now that we’ve dealt with Teach. Maybe I can go find you or something?” F!Sabo pulled away from the embrace, nodding excitedly, and reached into his pocket to take out a calendar. He marked a date on it and handed it to Ace.

“Alabasta.” He remarked, tapping on the marked date. F!Luffy perked up at the name and bounced over, gesturing wildly to himself.

“Luffy, you went to Alabasta too? Will you be there on this date?” Ace asked, showing F!Luffy the marked date. F!Luffy frowned and shrugged, before grinning in his usual carefree way. Ace could almost hear him say, _‘Oh well! I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere! Shishishi!’_ and couldn’t help but smile along. “Alright, I’ll go to Alabasta on that date. How will I find you there?”

“Find Revolutionary.”

“Revolutionary Army, got it.” Ace nodded to himself.

“I’ll go get Haruta, yoi. We’ll find out everything we can about the Revolutionary Army for you, yoi. No guarantees though, those bunch are hard to track, yoi.” Marco said, Ace giving him a grateful look as he walked off.

“So, Lu.” F!Luffy looked to him curiously. “I’m glad that you seem to be doing well in the future. What’s your crew like?” F!Luffy gave him a face-splitting grin. _They’re the best!_ Ace smiled fondly to see that he could still read Luffy like an open book. “I see, they’re that great, huh? That’s good to hear. With such a troublesome younger brother like you, it makes me worry as an older brother. No matter what happens, Luffy, you’ll be fine. Even if I’m not around anymore from the future you came from, you still have your nakama and Sabo. You’re not alone anymore.”

 ** _“Being alone is worse than being hurt!”_** 7-year-old Luffy had cried to him, and F!Luffy seemed to be thinking of the same memory as he bit his lips and nodded, tears running freely down his face. Ace placed a hand on F!Luffy’s head, ruffling his hair affectionately. F!Luffy sniffled, calming himself down before looking up to fix Ace with a stern gaze.

“You promised me.” Ace stared at the empty space before him with a soft smile and nodded.

“Yeah. I remember.” The voice of 10-year-old him declared loudly in his mind.

**_“I promise you that I’ll never die!”_ **

* * *

“Did you pack everything, yoi? Don’t forget the water, and don’t drink it all before reaching Alabasta, yoi.” Marco said as Ace got ready to set sail for the desert kingdom.

“I know.” Ace muttered, rolling his eyes. “I can take care of myself, Marco.”

“Knowing you, I don’t trust that sentence one bit, yoi.”

“Ace! Don’t forget to pack food, and don’t eat it all before you reach Alabasta!” Thatch’s voice called out all the way from the kitchen, and Marco crossed his arm, giving him a smug look.

“Shut up.” Ace muttered with a red face.

“I didn’t say anything, yoi.” Marco said back, smirking as Ace huffed and clambered onto Striker. “So, what’s your plan, Ace?”

“My plan?”

“Yeah. Don’t forget, your brother is amnesiac at this point of time, yoi. What are you going to say when you find him, yoi?” Ace gave a low hum, clearly thinking, before he smirked and held up 3 fingers.

“Three words!” Marco raised a brow at him.

“And what are those three words, yoi?”

“I’ll think about it on the way there!” Ace yelled out as he fired up Striker and sped away, laughing the whole way at Marco’s string of curses behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for Three Words From the Future! I bet you guys saw that coming :3 It's Luffy and Sabo! Since it's such a shame and honestly unfair that the ASL Trio never got to be reunited as adults :(  
> Also, sorry to disappoint those who were expecting more, like the actual reunion scene or how things have been affected by the future visitors, but unfortunately, I won't be going in so deep. I also won't really be writing about how they went back in time, or why they only get 3 words, it's all up to you.  
> Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading Three Words From the Future, and feel free to check out more of my works!


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